Arcane Arts
by freelancer2
Summary: [Discontinued] After the Dept. of Mysteries incident, Ron is mysteriously whisked away to the East... leaving a distressed Weasley family, a hardpressed Harry, and a... depressed Hermione? Read and see!:Ch2 Up!:
1. Prologue: Winded, Wounded

**Arcane Arts**

The Department of Mysteries incident has left more than just physical scars on our trio. Fresh from the harsh incidents, Harry, Ron, and Hermione have yet to face more struggles along the way. But, things do not always have to be dark and miserable. Would they experience a lot of interesting adventures or just end up hurting more badly than they ever have?

Disclaimer: JKR is queen of all things HP, so don't even bother suing me. Just enjoy this little fanfiction, won't you?

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_Prologue : Winded, Wounded_

St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries was busy as ever that day with the heavy load of patients they admitted, but it was even more crowded as witch nurses and doctors paced about the halls, scurrying hither-dither to check on their patients' conditions and update their records.

The hospital fireplace used to admit patients by floo suddenly burst forth soot as some figures appeared at that spot. The staff didn't mind them all at first; that was, of course, before a young raven-haired lad began to speak in a very anxious tone.

"Somebody, anybody… I need some help over here!"

Now normally, the nurses would just tell the newcomer to take a number and have a seat, but upon looking up, the nurses behind the reception desk stood at once and made their way towards the famous kid. Lo, it was The-Boy-Who-Lived!

"Harry Potter!"

It was just Harry's luck that he should be the one to get attention first. He had gotten a bit used to this, but did not really want any of it. At any rate, he wasn't the one who needed the attention right at that moment anyway.

"Have a look at them," he said, pointing to the two figures beside him who supported each other carefully.

One nurse turned to the figures in the clearing soot and recognized a tall boy and a bushy-haired girl. She immediately moved towards them and began to examine them for apparent injuries.

"He's… not himself," Hermione huffed, referring to the giggling redhead whom she supported with her upper body, and shifted his weights upon the attendant.

The nurse took out her wand and swished it and, with some soft spell she muttered, Ron's body began to float in mid-air. She could hear his soft laughter but found it strange for him to be doing so in his current condition.

While the woman took care of Ron, the other nurse took out her wand and began waving it all over Hermione. Harry thought that it was quite a peculiar diagnostic procedure; it was just like the procedure done by Muggle security guards who frisked people with their own 'wands'.

"I'm fine, really," Hermione impatiently said. "I only had a few scratches and a soft bruise. I can attend to my simple injuries, thank you."

The nurse was thoroughly annoyed at having her work rebuffed and took no more trouble in examining Hermione. After all, she had a lot of other work to do and even more seriously hurt patients to attend to.

Harry motioned Hermione for the two of them to take a seat by the wall. Soon enough, more figures floo-ed in through the fireplace. Harry wiped his glasses clean as the soot dirtied them once more, and recognized the newcomers as Lupin, Tonks, Luna and Neville. Luna and Neville were breathing a bit heavily, but the two members of the Order held onto them very carefully.

A new pair of nurses arrived as Tonks called out for help and they immediately brought the two young patients to the treatment chamber.

"You alright, Harry?" Lupin inquired, being so worried sick about James' son and so couldn't help but ask.

Harry did not react to the question. Well, it wasn't as if he knew how to take his godfather's disappearance anyway. He was peacefully staying at the old Grimmauld Place, but no… he had to get to the Department of Mysteries and lure him there…

Tonks and Hermione looked at each other, not knowing what to say or how to comfort Harry in this very awkward moment. Tonks moved towards Lupin and held his left hand firmly, trying to support him in the only way she knew at that moment.

Hermione, for her part, extended her left arm and firmly held Harry's left shoulder. She did not know of any thing to make him feel better right now, but seeing as Ron was nowhere in sight to cheer him up, she supposed that she could at least try to be there for Harry.

"I want to take a breather, if you don't mind," Harry said resignedly, standing up from his seat.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked in a concerned tone.

"I'm off to the roof, to think things over."

Hermione stood up and tried to pull Harry back down to his seat, but Lupin stood in her way, shaking his head to tell Hermione not to bother him at the moment.

Harry gazed through the window in one of the better sunlit corridors of the hospital. He had been trying to find the rooftop for a long time and decided to give up instead and gaze at the peaceful scene outside.

How could he have been so stupid? How could he have risked his friends' lives for a mere hunch? Yes… that was only a hunch, nothing more; a hunch that cost his last living family member his life. It was such a foolish and costly mistake! How could have done such a thing? Hermione was right, he realized: he should have listened to her right from the start!

But, how was he supposed to know? Even if he did have the tendency to be… overprotective of people and go off breaking every rule imaginable, he felt very responsible. Right then, he did feel very responsible – responsible for his godfather's life…

Harry was trapped in his musings of guilt, and whenever he tried to justify himself, every new thought just pointed back to his godfather. Sirius: the godfather he thought he never had, rescued from many years of torture, grew to love and confide in a span of two years, and brought to oblivion towards the end. His stomach churned as he recalled their few moments together. He hated himself more and more.

He started to walk back downstairs, feeling that he had worried Lupin and the others too much. Who knows, they might have sent a throng of aurors to look for him now. They can't lose their key figure in the battle against Voldemort now, can they? At any rate, he would not want to cause everyone else more misery than they already are experiencing.

As he descended the flight of stairs, he began to hear rumblings from below. Harry quickened his pace and stopped on the second floor where he figured the admitted patients were and apparently where the commotion was. Halfway down, he spotted Tonks, rushing down the corridor.

"What's happened?"

"Harry, is that you? Thank Merlin you're safe! Lupin and I thought that you and Hermione were taken away…"

Harry's stopped pointblank.

"Tonks, where's Ron?"

Tonks hesitated, and decided to sprint down the corridor further instead as she peeked into each room.

"Tonks," Harry continued in a rather strained voice, "where's Ron?"

Lupin joined them as they reached an intersecting hallway.

"Did you find him?" he asked Tonks. "I couldn't find Ron; I think he's been brought to th-"

Lupin stopped in mid-sentence as he saw Harry, frozen right in his tracks just behind Tonks. Now he was in for it. Harry had heard him, and he knew Harry was not willing to lose someone close too soon after the last incident.

At once, Harry bolted past them to his left, frantically searching rooms for his best mate. He had his wand out now and Merlin knows he was just short of blasting the whole hospital wing to smithereens.

"Harry, no! Leave it to us! Many innocent patients might-"

But he had already gone round the corner. As soon as they got there, they managed to see Harry face-to-face with one of the hospital staff.

"-but the nurse down at the reception area told me that Dumbledore wants to have you back at Hogwarts this instant! He wants to have a word with you, and it's best not to keep him waiting."

"But my friend… I have to make sure he's okay first… he's my best mate!"

The nurse was getting impatient now, and Tonks could tell that she was just as stressed as all of them were, having no room for disagreements at the moment.

"I assure you, sir," she said as she tried hard to control her irritation, "that our patient is fine. We have made sure that he is resting comfortably in his room. At any rate, he is not allowed to see any visitors; he needs peace and quiet."

"Can't I just see him just for a bit? It's not like I'm off to scare him awake or anything…"

"Harry," Lupin softly called out from behind him, "the lady's right. If you're _really_ worried about Ron, you would follow what she said and let him have his peace and quiet."

The boy turned around and begged Lupin with his eyes to support him but sighed in defeat when his former professor just shook his head in disapproval.

Harry no longer had a choice now and just had to go back. He began to make his way back along the corridors and down to the reception area. The weary man followed him all the way just in case he decided to run away, but supposed he shouldn't have bothered as the boy headed straight for the fireplace.

Harry took some floo powder from the bowl on the nearby coffee table and stepped into the dirty hearth. He turned around, and looked at his former professor sadly in the eye.

"Keep an eye on Ron for me?"

"Sure, Harry," Lupin replied. "I'll watch over him for you."

"Thanks… Hogwarts!"

With that, Harry disappeared into the green flames. Lupin, thoroughly exhausted for the day, sighed deeply, feeling worriedfor Harry and his friends' sakes. He breathed just as deeply and turned on his heel back towards the staircase.

"Now… Where _did_ they keep that Weasley?"

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A/N: What do you think? Was it too awkward for an opening? a bit too melodramatic? too bland or cliché? I hope to hear news from you all, as this is my very first fiction in the Harry Potter genre. 

I'll have you all know, I've taken a liking to Ron's character. I've also developed an affinity for tragedy, drama, angst, and romance plots strongly related to him the first time I ventured into HP fanfictions, but I intend to keep this one more general but interesting for all the readers of the fandom to enjoy!

Liked it? Hated it? Review my work, and I'll give you all a digital biscuit (or cookie, whichever you prefer).


	2. Ch One: Arise to a New Beginning

_Mabuhay!_

Well, hello to all! I am writing this for one simple reason: I adore Ron as a character. Oh, I'm also writing this because perhaps some of you would be so curious to see what kind of Eastern magic I could show you. I might not be the best fantasy writer there is, but I'll try to make this story as worthwhile and as enjoyable as could be.

Anyway, this is actually the first chapter in the story; the last one was more of a prologue; I just don't want to mess the automatic numbering assigns to my chapters. Well, here you are: the official first chapter!

My special thanks to **alien2063**, my very first reviewer! I'm feeling just as ecstatic as you are so hold on to your knickers and don't work yourself into a knot! Also, I am dedicating this chapter to this girl who thinks she's cute and has promised to read my story through to the end. You know who you are; thanks for your commitment!

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_One : Arise to a New Beginning_

The air was filled with audible whispers that chilly and humid morning. The tranquility of the entire place was broken by a troubling sight.

Inside the great entrance hall, a lifeless figure lay on the cold stone floor. More and more spectators came to gather around but not one dared to go within two meters of the scene for fear of contracting some sort of disease. It isn't everyday that you find an unconscious body suddenly appear inside the premises of a usually crowded place now, is it?

A skinny boy slowly made his way to the scene, clearing his throat as he forced others to step aside. Standing about four and a half feet tall, he came through the crowd and parted them to give way for two adults rushing in tow: one was a youthful lady who wore a long black robe and short pointed hat to match, the other a much older man in a navy blue overcoat with quite the lengthy greying beard and unusually crooked facial wrinkles.

The three of them immediately came upon the poor body sprawled upon the foot of the stairs. The woman attended to this unconscious kid, feeling the forehead as if this were a simple case of fever. She stepped aside after a short while and the older man took over, kneeling down to the figure and scanning the scene for some means of identification.

The two stepped away for a moment, while in the meantime the skinny boy began to shoo the onlookers away, not really sure of what was happening himself. Right then, all he knew was that he was not about to let the situation go out of hand, not under his watch.

After a short while, the bearded man finally turned back to their unconscious guest and, with a wave of his right hand, levitated the body away from the crowd and into one of the hall corridors to the right. The people all took to the sides to let the adults pass with the lifeless figure slightly ahead of them.

Everyone continued to speak with each other in hushed tones and was already making such a commotion. Without further ado, the skinny boy began dispersing the crowd, growing annoyed with the extra effort he had to exert that morning alone.

_Ugh… what in bloody blazes happened…_

The unsettled lad began to stir from his place but had to struggle hard as his body seemed to be not in the mood to cooperate with him; even opening an eye seemed to be such an effort.

After a few restless moments, Ronald Weasley finally managed to open both his eyes a bit. He was thankful that the place he woke up in – wherever it was – wasn't too bright at all right then, because he felt as if his eyes would burn if the lighting in there were any stronger.

He looked around for the first time, squinted every few seconds or so and glimpsed some blurred images of all sorts of dully coloured shapes. Ron tried to get up from where he lay and felt the soft mattress underneath him and the equally smooth covers upon him. Slowly, the images began to get all clearer and so he was able to take in his surroundings, albeit utterly surprised.

"Wait a minute," Ron whispered in a hoarse tone, "I don't think this is St. Mungo's at all…"

He began to panic and moved his legs over to the side of the bed. He felt for his shoes which picked that oddly irritating moment to be missing. Ron finally managed to summon them from underneath his bed, hastily wear them, and head for the door of what seemed to be a small clinic.

As he made his way through the room, he stumbled upon a chair and nudged a metal tray off the nearby table. Still frantic at the prospect of being found by people he could not recognize – and more frighteningly so the idea of Death Eaters out to capture him any moment now, he zoomed through the door and into the corridor.

Ron stopped for a moment to take a look around him. To his right, the corridor ran so far with its walls adorned with portraits of supposedly famous people, none of whom he recognized. The portraits all resembled like those back at Hogwarts, he noted: some being small, some unusually huge; some sparkling new, some plainly dull. End tables were spaced evenly every few feet on both sides, topped with vases bearing unknown species of plants. There were a few doors and more intersecting corridors further down, but he did not feel at ease venturing too far down that way just yet.

Ron turned to look to his left, and saw that the corridor did go just as far with the same numerous portraits – only with different resident figures – and end tables every few steps or so, but sighted an open archway that he believed lead into a spacious hall and, consequently he thought, the exit. He began to sprint down this way but paused just as he got past the arch as he looked up at the high domed ceiling.

Figures of cherubim graced the ceiling, moving and flying, all happily chatting away. Boys and girls played at their own leisure, ignoring the apparent awkwardness humans have interacting with those of the opposite sex. As they turned to look down, they found Ron staring up at them and smiled and waved at him in return with such warmth and friendliness.

_Blimey, what brilliant art! The artist must have been a nutter to do something this… complicated…_

Ron remembered what he originally planned on doing and looked about him. True to his suspicions, the place was really large and he assumed it to be the entrance hall. A grand dual staircase led from the hall into the second floor, and four archways led away from the hall, one of which he had just passed through.

The huge mahogany door just up front was open which lead right into a meadow extending to the nearby wall of trees of the forest. From what he could see, the entire building was simply surrounded by lush flora.

_No wonder there's all these plants… I'm sure the bloke in charge of this castle would put Madam Sprout to shame…_

Indeed, the entrance was filled with various potted exotic flora floating in mid-air which Ron had managed to ignore so carelessly before. Wild orchids, herbs, and other sweet-smelling flowers adorned the hall that as he took deep breaths, he felt all light and a bit more cheerful inside which he attributed to the wonderful mix of heavenly aromas… This was certainly better than plain old potpourri hands down.

Ron was still captivated by the wonderful sensation when a loud bell echoed and stirred him from his reverie. A few seconds more and he began to hear traces of whispers and opening of room doors from all four corridors and even up the second floor.

Alarmed by the sudden chatter seeming to converge on the entrance hall, Ron bolted out towards the front door. He was about to take his first step outside the building when he harshly bumped against something, as if some sort of invisible barrier was in place. As he had rushed into it, he bounced off quite roughly and crashed against one of the pots as he was deflected backward. Fortunately, he did not fall onto the floor too hard and slid on his side towards the base of the grand steps.

The sound of the pot breaking was quite the unwelcome noise Ron had wanted, so he began to panic as he heard the throng of steps rushing towards the hall.

_Bugger… what to do, what to do… I am NOT getting caught in here!_

Ron cursed the barrier in front of him and his left leg which chose to sleep and ache right then.

_Come on, don't fail me now, you good-for-nothing leg!_

He reached for the railing for support. The sound of the footsteps just grew louder and louder. Ron was trying hard to make up an escape plan, but the panic and anxiety just took over.

_Invisibility cloak? Who am I kidding… Floo? Can't; no floo powder and no fireplace in sight. Apparate?_

Apparate… Ron cursed himself at the fact that Fred and George knew how to apparate and there they were, just using it every bloody minute to show off to get downstairs quicker for breakfast each morning to achieve a better record. They could have at least taught him some basic pointers on how to do it, but then again, could he even trust those two prats who induced in him his fear of spiders?

He began to inch his way up the main staircase but flinched with every other step as he had to drag his leg. His heart raced and his adrenaline run wild; he was going to get caught any moment now by the multitude of Death Eaters, he knew it.

"Tigil!"

Voices began to call out to him, and he turned around for a bit and saw a few guys seemingly bent on stopping him.

_Bloody hell!_

The frightened redhead continued his gradual climb up the steps but his left leg grew more painful with every step.

"Huwag!"

Ron quickened his pace, but apparently his left leg couldn't keep up with the rest of his body; he stumbled once but immediately got back to his feet. The people were only a few feet away from him now. The redhead reached inside his robe and thanked Merlin that he had his wand with him. If Death Eaters were out to get him, then at the very least he would give them one hell of a fight first before they got their way with him.

"Expelliarmus! Impedimenta!"

Sparks flew out of Ron's wand and hit two figures down the stairs. He began huffing and continued to cry spell after spell into the hall towards his pursuers.

The crowd began pouring into the open hall where they were surprised to find the ensuing hostilities. They immediately took out their own wands in retaliation and joined in the trouble. Many of them cried various spells, all of which were new to the redhead's ears, and the chaos intensified. The brave ones hid behind pots and other obstacles while those struck with fear only fled and cried for help.

Adults began to pour into the hall not long after, somewhat horrified by the mayhem. They at once moved to the middle of it all, moving the younger ones aside and levitating the unconscious people lying on the floor. The adults felt relieved when they determined that they were only stunned or unconscious but alive and breathing nonetheless.

A young lady with a short pointed hat approached the base of the stairs and looked up to find her guest from that same morning, limping to his side, leaning against the railing and casting spell after spell in rapid succession. She screamed for him to stop but did not relent; it seemed that he was utterly confused to recognize anything at any rate.

With a wave of her hand, the woman effortlessly restrained Ron who suddenly went stiff and fell on the landing halfway up the stairs, and with that the order was finally restored. She climbed up to him but observed that he was still conscious, only furiously struggling to free himself from her binding spell.

"Let me go! I'm not going to let you win, you blasted Death Eaters!"

The woman was taken aback by his wail of despair. She flinched upon hearing the word 'death', and the hall was filled with gasps of horror.

She raised her hand in front of her and motioned him to stop. She gave him a wicked smile for his troubles, but Ron took it as a confirmation of his impending doom.

"You… Release me! What is this place! Who are you! Who are all these people!" Ron was still desperately fighting against her spell and was racking his brains on how he could escape her clutches.

"You… stop," the lady commanded. Again, with a simple motion of her hand, she levitated his body off the floor and up the rest of the way to the second floor. She told her other colleagues down at the hall to take care of the injured victims and continued to head upstairs, bringing the redhead along with her.

Ron was utterly terrified now. He had dropped his wand when he was stunned and could only struggle against his captor's spell. What was worse was that she now had his wand, and could even do wandless magic! How could he manage to escape now? And just where was she taking him to?

His answer was slowly being answered however as he saw that they were moving towards a big door, one which anyone could readily identify as the office of the person in charge. Both of them stopped in front of the door, but the woman then took out her wand and waved it as she chanted some unfamiliar spell under her breath. Slowly, the door parted, revealing another long corridor filled with all sorts of vegetation, from the strange bulging cacti to the lush vines teeming on the walls in between tall windows; it was like an indoor greenhouse hallway.

The two of them went past the plants on both sides and reached another door… or at least, a curtain of thick vines. As the woman reached them, however, the vines immediately parted, allowing the both of them to gain entry.

The office must have been the most bizarre place Ron has seen so far… apart from the Department of Mysteries, of course. It was like a huge circular penthouse, only it was filled with much plant life.

_Figures… the geezer who's in charge of the place must be nuts to have every inch of this place covered in green…_

The woman set Ron down on the chair in front of the office desk, and she lifted her binding spell. She, however, gave the queasy boy a firm but friendly smile to remind him not to do anything foolish while they were waiting. Ron did not find it hard to comply.

"Madam!"

The woman cried to call someone from above whom he figured to be her superior. He looked around. Aside from the shrubs and flowers that filled the room, there were also various wooden sticks and statuettes; whatever purpose they served, Ron would probably never know. He gazed above him, and saw that the office had a very high ceiling, with what appeared to be a covered opening at the centre. It took him quite a while before he realized…

_Was that English just now? She spoke bloody English!_

Ron turned to the woman and was about to rant on her about this annoying new discovery when he heard something rustle from directly above him. Those things that supposedly covered the hole he saw were actually layers of very broad leaves. They flapped open inward, letting some sunshine pour into the office.

Ron blinked hard to try to maintain his gaze. Then, as if an angel had descended from the sky, a very young and gorgeous woman slowly came down, held up by thin but strong vines wound around her waist. She wore green light robes matching the room in its entirety and had a figure that was certainly something to admire.

"Madam … English," the woman standing beside the redhead said, pointing to their guest.

The lady looked down, signalling her thanks and consequently turned to their bewildered company. She smiled, but Ron didn't know whether he should feel delighted or terrified by the gesture. She continued her descent and bid the vines to set her down on her chair. With a wave, the vines left through the hole again and the leaf flaps resumed their positions.

Ron took a good look at her. She was no veela, he recognized, but he could not help but feel that she was a close cousin of the veelas, only with long, silky black hair. He had to admit; she looked to stunning for a green-thumbed woman; Professor Sprout surely is no competition for this lady in front of him.

The lady examined her foreign guest closely in return and scanned him from head to foot. This particular person was very different to her alright because she had not had company like him in so long a time. Yes, she did look so young and attractive but she has been holding her office for so many decades now. She nodded to him, as if to confirm Ron's suspicions about her true age and capability.

"Mabuhay!" the lady began as a warm welcome. "I expect that you are surprised to find yourself here in our school?"

"You… You…"

"I… I… what?" the woman playfully teased.

"You speak English too?"

"Well… you do understand what I'm saying, don't you? What's the matter?"

"Well," Ron shyly answered, "no one was speaking my language earlier, so I really thought that I was no longer in England. For a second there I thought-"

"-Wait. You say you're from England?" the woman wondered.

"Well, I speak English, I have the distinct features of an Englishman, and so what makes you think otherwise?" Ron laughed although he tried to do so softly, because the other woman in the room seemed to gaze a hole into the back of his head.

"Oh, that," the lady in front of him giggled in reply. "I must admit that the usual English-speaking visitors we have are usually our American exchange students, I'm afraid, and even they rarely come here anymore."

"Oh. I'm sorry about that. Does that mean I'm somewhere in the Americas?"

"No dear, but I know that you will find this place to be better – and safer – than those in that continent. I, as Headmistress of this school, am proud of it."

Ron felt somewhat relieved; he did not feel that Death Eaters were out to get him now. In fact, he felt as if he was in a secure place… just like Hogwarts.

_Wait… this is a school! Bugger, what a first impression I just made…_

"So… would you care to introduce yourself? While you may be apprehensive of our culture, I think that sharing something about yourself would be the first step towards understanding each other, don't you think?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.

"First of all, Ma'am, thank you," Ron answered, feeling respectful and grateful for his host's kindness. "I am Ronald Weasley, currently in sixth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"I guessed as much that you're still a student – not to offend you, of course. Did you say Hug… Hogwarts?"

Ron's face suddenly lit up, hoping that she recognized his own alma mater. He nodded in excitement, but only met disappointment as she continued.

"Sorry, the name doesn't ring a bell. Speaking of schools, however, you easily tower over most – if not all – of my students in this school. Indeed, the English ARE as tall as they say..."

Ron blushed, but managed to reply in surprise, "Just as I thought… those lads back there were students, weren't they? Bloody hell, those kids know their stuff!"

"Why, of course!We teach our pupils well in this institution withthe best curriculum there is in the East, might I add…"

"Wait, I'm in the East! You mean as in the _other half_ of the world?"

"That is correct. I assume that you do not even know how you got here in the first place, then?"

"No," Ron replied in utter disbelief. "I thought that YOU or someone else from this place brought me here. I thought I was being hunted down earlier."

"Oh, is that what the ruckus below was all about? My, my, I thought it was some sort of prank one of our rather mischievous resident ghosts pulled."

Ron could not believe it. Here, in front of him, was the headmistress, but it seemed that she was oblivious to many things around her. Then again, Dumbledore wasn't exactly the keenest of wizards, either.

_But, how could I have been brought miles and miles away from home? And where exactly am I?_

"Our laws," the lady kindly continued, "prohibit anyone from going overseas without following the strict wizarding migration guidelines, so as we do not know how you arrived here we would find it very tricky to get you back there. Also, disappointing and irritating as it may sometimes be, our government aren't exactly experts in… express service."

Ron sighed, feeling dejected at this bit of news. He looked at her hopefully for some other useful information, but she was still deep in thought. Suddenly, she had this inspiration.

"Well, seeing as you won't be going anywhere anytime soon, would you consider… spending your sixth year here instead?" she offered, tenderly smiling at the redhead who was feeling incredulous.

Needless to say, the redhead was caught unaware. Spend an entire year here, alone, away from friends and family?

_What about Harry? Hermione? That Malfoy… Then Ginny! Oh bollocks, there's mum and dad and the rest of the family, too!_

"Anxious about your family and friends, I suppose? I know that you must be very worried for them as much as they are for you, but we cannot simply disregard the rules. We could get in big trouble, you know," she said, smiling, but failing to reassure him.

"Well, we could try sending them a mail," she continued, at which Ron brightened up pretty quickly, "but I must say that we are so far from England that our post takes days or weeks to get there… provided that your message even gets past the strict postal screening, of course."

"That would be alright," Ron sighed, resigning to the only option he had at the moment. He took a few moments to think about his life back in England: the Burrow, Hogwarts, his friends, his family, even He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named… it was way too sudden.

"Well, what do you say to my offer? Would you like a year of study here in the East?"

Ron paused and thought things over.

_Back at Hogwarts, I have friends… but it wasn't as if I couldn't make new ones here, only that I would have to start all over again… Harry, Hermione… _

_Back there, I have a lot of professors who looked after us well, save for that cursed Snape of course… in here, I would have to discover whether my new professors would even give me the time of day, but getting away from that biased bloke would certainly make me happy. _

_Over there, I have my family, the best there is in the world, but I simply can't live up to Bill, Charlie, Percy, and even Fred and George… what else could mum and dad ask for? Well, I suppose in here I have the chance to learn Eastern magic, one that no one back at Hogwarts even knows of and one that could possibly at least… beat Hermione at… that oughtta show her! _

_Then again, would Hogwarts even accept my Eastern studies? I don't want to repeat a year all over again… that's just plain… pointless. I might as well stop altogether and play Quidditch or Exploding Snap or something… and the homework… Just thinking about it gives me the shivers… _

Then, as if to read Ron's mind and know his concerns, the headmistress smiled at him as he looked up at her.

"If you must know, Mr. Weasley, this wizarding school year follows the Muggle educational calendar in this country, and so we start in June and end in March, so it was goodthat you have missed only a few weeks' worth of classes. I presume that school in England starts in September and ends in June, correct?"

Ron nodded.

"Good. You said you're in your sixth year, so I presume that you're seventeen, so I will enrol you in our fifth level. You see, every pupil here completes six year's worth of Muggle elementary education. After that, they are enrolled in this academy to commence their wizarding education, starting at the age of thirteen. Don't you worry; I can assure you that our educational system is a few steps ahead than the West," addressing Ron's question in mind. "I will brief you further later on, should you wish to study here, of course."

Ron stopped to think. Brilliant as it all sounds, he knew that he could not even pay for his education. Even if he had some way to contact home, their family was not exactly one of the richest there are in all England.

"Madam," he began timidly, "I think your school is good, I really do, but… you see, I don't think me and my family could even… you know…"

The lady took the hint. "Oh dear lad, you need not worry about that. Our government keeps us up to speed with the latest editions ofvarious textbooks. Your books for a term are lent to you at the start of each one; that way,nobody needs to constantly buy new ones. School uniforms are a must, but I think I could call the school tailor to fix you up robes that would certainly suit you. Class supplies are provided by the school, so all you need to do is go to the inventory room and sign up for additional supplies. If you do well enough for your first term, I think I could even convince the Board to provide some scholarship allowance for you…"

Though skeptical of the news, Ron really had no other choice at the moment; if he did not accept this, he would have nowhere else to go.

"Alright, sign me up!" Ron decided. "I guess… I want to surprise everyone at home with what I've learned once I do manage to get back."

"Splendid!" the headmistress replied delightfully. "I was right to have invited you, seeingsuch theadventurous spirit in you! Do not worry if you find workload stressful at first; I'm sure you could adjust fairly easily to our culture. I can assure you that the fun that accompanies your learning will be more than enough to compensate for your troubles."

"Thank you, Ma'am. I'm looking forward to my first week here."

The lady grabbed some parchment from inside her desk drawer and inked the quill beside her as she started to write hastily for a moment. Once finished, she handed both the paper and quill over to Ron, who looked at it curiously.

"You have to sign this to be officially enrolled in this school. Just sign down… here," she said, pointing at the line for Ron to sign on, which he did most willingly.

"Very well, that settles things," she said and stood up, prompting Ron to rise up from his seat as well.

"Mabuhay once again, Mr. Weasley! I am Headmistress Rosa Roma, and I officially welcome you to the Ruwingas Academy of Magic, the best school of magic in the East!"

* * *

A/N: So, how did it go? Getting excited yet? Care to identify which country Ron landed in? 

By the way, if you have something to say about any of the Weasley family members, especially Ron, don't forget to drop by my forum "The Burrow, My Haven" and speak your mind. I'll make a separate forum for this story if you want to discuss some of the points (cultural, social, or otherwise) along the way; just let me know.

Hated it? Review my work, and I'll give you all a digital biscuit (or cookie, whichever you prefer).


	3. Ch Two: Whereabouts

_Mabuhay!_

I've decided that the initial chapter was really more of a prologue so I've adjusted the chapter numbering accordingly. Sorry for the confusion, but this is officially the second chapter. This is _incredibly _long (one which surprises even myself), so I guess I better not keep you waiting any longer. Better get to it, then… oh, and enjoy!

Happy birthday, Ron! (March 1st)

* * *

_Two : Whereabouts_

The wizarding community of St. Ottery Catchpole had never been the same… not ever since that blaring news featured in _The Daily Prophet _had come up with sensationalizing yet another inexplicable event…

**Ministry and St. Mungo's Baffled: Harry Potter's Confidant Gone Missing!**

**Death Eater Involvement Suspected!**

Yes, it had unfortunately been that morning's headline and it alarmed the readers to no end, not that it needed any more troubling news, mind you. Alas, the paper highlighted the disappearance of Ronald Bilius Weasley, best mate of the famous Harry Potter, and so merited frenzied responses in mails and public remarks from all over the country.

Minister Fudge was utterly peeved by the news because yet another controversy has marred the reputation of his Office in addition to the Department of Mysteries incident. In reaction to this predicament, the Minister had kept his responses to the standard bare minimum of "No comment." For its part, the Medical Board of St. Mungo's has strictly instructed all hospital divisions to keep the matter under wraps.

This silence, however, did not prove to be a hindrance to the free press as the days rolled by. The papers kept on doling out theories that some conspiracy expert or other had come up with. The longer the government kept quiet about the issue, the more credible the ideas that the _Prophet _published with each release, no matter how off they really were.

Hogwarts was not, in any way, oblivious to the world outside and so, on the day after the news had broken out all over the nation, the issue roused the restless students who were gradually gathering at the Great Hall for breakfast that fine, sunny morning… particularly the student body belonging to Gryffindor House.

"What the-" Dean managed to snag a copy of the morning news first when the daily owls arrived.

"Dean, what is it?" asked Seamus. "Did the Tornados lose the last match? I told you they had it com-"

"-that's not it, you twit. Take a look at this," the other retorted in a huff, handing him the paper.

As Seamus began to skim through the front page, his eyes practically bulged out of their sockets trying to absorb the article contents. He caught the attention of Jordan Lee and some of the other Gryffindors. One by one they stood up and gathered around the pair, taking turns scanning the front page paper.

"Oh good, the morning owls are here," a particular bushy-haired girl said cheerfully as she entered the Hall followed by one upset raven-haired boy.

"What's good with the morning, might I ask?" Harry replied testily.

"Harry, let's not go through that again… can't you brighten up a bit? It's a brand new day!"

"I can't believe he hasn't come back yet. Ron's still in the hospital, you know! I can't imagine how you do it, Hermione, not fussing even a bit over him. Do you really even _worry_ about him at all?" He soon realized he said it rather more harshly than he intended, and he looked up at Hermione to find her dumbstruck, mouth wide open.

"You…" Hermione recovered but still initially unable to say much more because of the lump forming in her throat. As she swallowed that down, she finally found the words to answer him with. "He's… Ron's my best mate too, you know! You know that I… I'm too worried about him to even care about anything else!"

"Sorry, Hermione… that didn't quite come out the way I wanted it to. I was just wondering how you manage to keep it all together, you know? A cool head such as yours is something I could probably never _ever_ follow…" Harry slowly tilted his head up to look up at her.

"Hermione, you know I didn't mean to… Forgive me?"

"It's alright… I guess I was just overcome with all these emotions at once too quickly it even surprised me. Let's just try to make the most out of this new day, alright?" Hermione said sympathetically.

"What have you got there, Lee? Anything new?" Harry asked, changing the subject and determined to enjoy his time as Hermione suggested. The older Gryffindor quickly hid the paper behind him while the rest of the crowd all stood at attention, much like the way they did when the Inquisitorial Squad was present.

"What is it? Don't tell me Umbridge is still around?" Hermione joked (surprisingly so, might I add) in a considerably cheery tone.

Jordan slowly backed away behind Dean, Seamus and the rest, but the silence was getting unsettling for Hermione and Harry.

"Dean? Seamus? Boys… this is getting kind of disturbing… What is it?" Hermione was now increasingly fretful with each passing moment.

"This is getting ridiculous," Harry finally declared impatiently. He made his way rudely past Dean and towards Lee in the back. "Come on, I want to see that. You don't want to get on my rather bad side today, Lee…"

"Harry… It's nothing, really…" Jordan tried to give a convincing smile but ended up flashing a nervous grin instead.

"Now why does that _not_ convince us?" Hermione shot back as she too strode over to them.

"Now Hermione, I don't think that you'd… It'd all be too much of a shock…"

Tempers were evidently flaring as the two gave the cowering crowd menacing stares, daring them to keep them out of the know any longer.

"My my, better watch your temper, mudblood." They all looked around and it was, needless to say, the notorious Draco Malfoy, flanked by none other than Crabbe and Goyle. "Then again, I think I know how you feel, seeing as your _weasel of a friend_ has left you… What? Hah! It seems that the mudblood and the school's zero of a hero haven't even found out yet!"

"Sod off, Malfoy," Seamus rebuffed him. As the three Slytherins left laughing, the Gryffindors turned their heads to look back at Harry and Hermione but turned pale as they saw the indescribable expressions on their faces.

"What are they talking about! Give me that!" Harry cried exasperatedly and finally grabbed the paper away. Hermione, on the other hand, felt such uneasiness that the sobs threatened to come back with a vengeance. She felt her knees shaking terribly and decided to sit down rather roughly on a nearby bench at the Gryffindor table.

"No, no, it can't be… Harry and I personally brought him to St. Mungo's just a few days ago. He can't possibly be gone! Harry, it can't be true… please tell me it's a lie…" Hermione looked up at him, trying to search his face for a sign that everything was alright, that Malfoy was just being an utter prat and lied, that the three of them would all be in each other's company soon enough.

But Harry did not find anything on the front page article to dispel Hermione's fears; in fact, his hands shook nervously horrified by what Ron could have possibly been facing right then. Hermione's tears finally welled from her eyes when she witnessed Harry tremble.

Ginny had been there the whole time but had her turn at the paper when she could no longer bear the tension at that point. When she had gotten halfway through the article, she began to cry too. Harry was simply rooted at the spot while Ginny, wallowing in sorrow, sat beside Hermione and hugged each other tightly. Groups of Slytherins were chatting away nonchalantly about the news, but Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws knew better and some of them made their way to Harry and Hermione to comfort them, albeit they did not even have the chance to get to know the redhead beyond his name.

"What is this?" asked Professor McGonagall as she entered the Hall from the main door, genuinely confused with the commotion that peaceful morning. Professors Dumbledore, Flitwick, Sprout and Sinistra, on the other hand, were already at their seats in front. "What has gotten into you all?"

"Oh, professor," Hermione came crying, tearing herself away from Ginny for a moment and rushing towards her mentor. "It's about Ronald Weasley, professor… He's… he's…"

"What is it dear?"

"He's gone, Ma'am," came Harry's reply. "And the Ministry and St. Mungo's keeping quiet about it. They're hiding something and they aren't telling anyone."

"What? Is this true? Where did you get this news?"

"It's in the paper, professor," Dean helped sympathetically, holding the paper up to her.

The transfiguration professor took the daily from him and instantly recognized the headline. She only skimmed through the first few lines before setting Hermione aside to Harry and making her way to the professors' table.

"Have you read this morning's news, Albus?"

"No, Minerva. Has Rita gone back to writing for the paperagain, something controversial at that, perhaps?"

"No, it has nothing to do with that woman. It's just… It's about one of our students…"

"Hmm?" The sage wizard took the newspaper from her hands and read through the article.

"There is justice in this world, after all," Snape said airily as he entered the hall from the professors' entrance, seeing his fellow professors reading the _Prophet_. "I finally have one horrible student off my hands."

"Severus! Well I never…" Professor McGonagall replied, fuming. Ron was not the perfect student a professor would ask for, but he was a Gryffindor becoming his own nonetheless. "Do you have _anything _to do with this?"

"Are you insinuating that I had something to do with his disappearance?"

The ensuing argument gradually caught the attention of the students in the hall, and it did not take a while for many of them to side with one professor or the other; Snape had the Slytherins but, as expected, the rest were siding with McGonagall.

"Minerva, Severus," Dumbledore interrupted, wanting to put this unprofessional bantering to a halt, "I believe that breakfast is no time for us to dispute over the matter. I'm sure the Ministry is doing their best to look into it."

"Ha! Doing their best to look into it?" Everyone turned around and found that the voice had come from none other than Harry Potter. "Do you honestly believe that the Ministry has all the time and manpower in the world to look into _another _case?"

"Hold your tongue, Mr. Potter," reprimanded Professor McGonagall, but he continued as though she had not even spoken at all.

"O pray tell us all, headmaster; how do you think would the Ministry handle his case when they have just confirmed Voldemort's return and imminent rise to power?" Gasps of horror filled the hall at the confirmation. "Me and Hermione and so many others know that Ron's worth it, but do you think _they _do?"

"Harry," Hermione pleaded, "this is not the time to-"

"Not the time to do what, Hermione!" Harry cut her off in a sharply softer tone as he faced her. "The world out there's filled with Death Eaters, Voldemort is planning his next move, and Ron's gone missing right under the noses of the mediwizards at St. Mungo's! Is now not the time to be furious about it? You and I are his best mates, Hermione; wouldn't you feel angry about it?"

"Well, of course I would! But don't you think you're overreacting a bit? Voldemort's cover had just been blown a few days ago! Do you think they would risk roaming around and simply grab Ron hostage?" Hermione finished with such calmness and logic that surprised her given the circumstances.

Harry stopped for a moment to think about it. What she said did make a lot of sense, and she was right… she was always right… but her words did not dispel the anxieties raging inside his head. "Well," he answered much more calmly this time, "you're as brilliant as usual… But Hermione, for our best mate's sake, I hope you're right… I just hope you're right…"

The last few days of the term at Hogwarts marked enthusiasm for the majority of its student populace. The residents of each house began packing their stuff, looking forward to the rewards of the upcoming summer vacation. Three certain Gryffindors, however, didn't have it in them to even think about the opportunities of the break in the absence of a particular redheaded boy.

The last evening of the school year had arrived and everyone was enjoying the Year-End Feast down at the Great Hall… everyone, except Harry, Hermione, and Ginny. Everyone had stowed their luggage at the entrance hall, but the three decided to wait in the common room for the meantime and go down together when it was time to actually leave the school grounds. After nearly an hour, it was the time to depart had finally come.

"I suppose we need to get going, then," Ginny said nonchalantly from her seat by the fireplace.

"Yeah," came Harry's weak reply. He stood up and Ginny followed suit. Hermione, still staring blankly into the glowing embers of the hearth, stayed unmoved from the couch.

"Hermione, come on. We really need to leave," Ginny said sympathetically, tugging Hermione softly by the hand. She only nodded in response and slowly made her way towards her luggage.

"_Mobilicorpus!_" Hermione charmed their entire luggage down towards the portrait hole and did not bother to wait for Harry and Ginny.

As the three reached the entrance hall, they managed to see their Headmaster and the entire faculty ushering the last of the students out of the school.

"Farewell Headmaster Dumbledore, professors," Hermione greeted dispassionately, turning her head towards them all. "We'll see you all again after the break."

"Hogwarts will be waiting here for you so just enjoy your summer, alright?" Dumbledore replied warmly.

Ginny, for her part, smiled to her Headmaster and Head of House. Harry, on the other hand, did not seem to be generous with his best wishes and simply gazed at the open entrance. At this gesture, Professor Dumbledore only let out a tired sigh, McGonagall shared a sympathetic look, and Hagrid felt outright cheerlessness.

The three students then passed the door and boarded the carriages. They spent their journey back to Hogsmeade in complete silence. As they reached the station, they stepped out of the carriage and made their way to the Hogwarts Express. Ginny went ahead to look for a private cabin while the two stayed for a while to have a much-needed breath of relief.

Hermione looked around but, after a few moments, was surprised to find none other than…

"Professor Lupin?"

"Oh, hello there Hermione! Who do you have th-"

"Oh… it was just you," came Harry's words, deflated and disgusted with the arrival of their momentary companion.

"Hello, Harry," Lupin greeted in a rather sad tone. By Harry's reaction, he guessed that everyone at school must have already heard of the news.

A few moments of eerie silence followed but the professor decided it too irresponsible to admit his own fault, so he spoke up once more.

"Harry, I came here hoping to meet you and personally tell you that-"

"Too late," Harry interrupted, sighing so deeply. "Ron is gone, the trio is broken, Gryffindor House is one student short, and the professors are all sympathetic… excluding Snape, of course."

"Harry, Hermione, I know I promised… I'm sorry."

"'Sorry' is not going to bring him back so save it… I don't want to hear anything from you."

Hermione sighed in disbelief while Lupin flinched in remorse.

"Hermione," he tried once more, "you know I couldn't have possibly seen it coming, do you?"

"Well… just what do you mean by _that_, professor?"

"That afternoon, I was sitting in his room, reading through my book. He had been staring outside the window for a long time until he asked if I could bring him some food."

"Well isn't that bloody convenient to say," Harry said irritably.

"Believe it or not, he suffered fits of shock every few hours of so… It could've been caused by the brains at the Department of Mysteries, but even the mediwizards don't know. Please understand, Harry, I know I promised you I'd look after him, but I'm just no seer to predict what had happened next." The three fell silent, not really knowing what to say or do next. The train, however, was blaring its whistle for departure while Ginny was waving for them to board.

"Professor," Hermione hurried, about to bid Lupin farewell, "we just don't know what to make out of all this right now, no matter how much sense your story makes. We simply…"

"We don't need any of this right now," Harry said in a much calmer tone this time. "Hermione, let's go before we get left behind." Hermione only nodded her reply and bid their former professor farewell. Lupin exhaled in defeat as he submitted to the fact that Harry did not have it in him to begin trusting so many people again just yet.

Platform 9 ¾ was tight with wizard security all over the place the next morning. With the Ministry's recent confirmation of Lord Voldemort's return, aurors were stationed at every crowded place in the United Kingdom. Since students of Hogwarts were coming home for the summer, they had tripled their usual sentry forces at the railroad station.

As Ginny, Hermione and Harry got off the train, they were immediately tugged away from the crowd by three aurors. Harry was, for the most part, not surprised by this rough measure; the Ministry, he thought, was not about to let the public know that they weren't protecting the only person who could save them from the wrath of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named once and for all.

"There you are, Potter!"

"Moody?" Harry asked in surprise as he turned to see the man who had a _clink _with his every step. "I should have known."

"'CONSTANT VIGILANCE!', I've always told those fools at the Ministry, but they just would _not_ listen!" growled the auror. "And now look at what happened… St. Mungo's should have known better, too."

Harry and Hermione only nodded in response. Ginny, still a bit intimidated by their former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, only shied away and hid behind them.

"Are you the youngest Weasley sibling?" Moody asked her, but she could only squeak affirmatively. "I just want to say… I'm sorry that your brother's not around… I'm not good at these things but I just want to let you know that the Order's working round-the-clock to find him."

"You mean… my mum and dad know about what happened too?"

"You bet they do… Molly was in a wreck the moment Arthur had come home and told her about it."

Ginny gulped a big lump down her throat. Their mother certainly wasn't the person who took news of one of her children's loss too well… Ginny could just remember how much she had smothered her with hugs and kisses when she got home from Hogwarts the year the Chamber of Secrets had been opened once more.

"Let me handle your luggage," Moody offered simply. Then, turning to the wizard escorts, he ordered, "you know where to bring them, so go ahead."

The aurors stood by each of the three students and swung one arm over their shoulders. They twirled around and vanished into nothing, side-along apparating each of the children away from the platform. Moody then took to the luggage, transfiguring them into small pieces of rock, before he stowed them inside his overcoat and followed suit.

"Oh… we're going back…" Ginny muttered as she still felt the tightening of her lungs during the transport. A few moments later, she was finally able to breath deeply again as the tugging in her navel stopped, before continuing somewhat in surprise, "…to the Burrow?"

"What are we doing here?" asked an equally confused Harry as they arrived in the living room of the very cozy home. "I thought it was safer back at Grimmauld Place?"

"Don't be silly, Harry dear. That place is going to be the death of us seeing as it's horribly lonesome." It was Mrs. Weasley, apparently hurt by his comment. "Unless you would prefer to stay there, of course?"

"Good day, Mrs. Weasley," Harry and Hermione greeted simultaneously, followed by a "Hello mum!" coming from Ginny.

"I didn't mean that, Mrs. Weasley," Harry answered apologetically. "I just thought that, with all the trouble the Order's been having, we would've all regrouped there."

"It's alright. It was about time you three had come, by the way. I was getting worried when you would _ever_ arrive. Alastor was never late when it comes to these things-"

"-never am, and never will." It was Moody, having only apparated into the room. "Really, Molly, those tripled forces just aggravated the crowding at the station. Thank Merlin I've managed to find these three a few minutes just after the train arrived-"

"-and not a moment too soon, either. Any longer, and all of your lunches would have gotten cold." Moody only snarled at her softly for scolded him when he could not have helped it. Hermione and Harry, who were simply witnessing this very short argument, merely chuckled at the thought.

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley," Harry intervened, "though I think that Professor Dumbledore had something to do with this arrangement, hadn't he?"

"Why, that's right dear. I'm not sure what convinced him to send you here rather than your… inhospitable relatives, but I'm glad that you're here to spend your vacation with us… and Hermione too! Oh, I'm pleased to have so many guests this summer!"

The aurors, Moody included, all bid their leave from the Burrow, saying something about needing to have some paperwork done back at the Ministry, and disapparated with a pop within seconds. Mrs. Weasley, on the other hand, shoved her guests into the dining room where Fred and George were busy placing the dishes on the table… or rather, levitating them over the table. She then headed for the kitchen.

"Fred, George!" Ginny cried all too cheerfully.

"Well, it's our dear sister! How have you been?" Fred asked warmly. "That bloated-excuse-for-a-Ministry-official did not terrorize you and our pals here after we left, I expect?"

"Hello there, Harry, Hermione," George joined in, turning to the two.

"Uhm," Ginny replied, "you could say that she's… taken a leave of absence."

"Good riddance," Harry added. Hermione scolded him about it but everyone just laughed. She joined in on the laughter as well.

"Boy, I just miss moments like this: us laughing our heads off, not having a care in the world, just enjoying ourselves…" Harry trailed off, his thoughts turning back to his best mate, Ron. The atmosphere suddenly became heavy with thoughts of the missing redhead.

"I don't suppose you've already read about our dear Ronniekins now, have you?" George ventured rather warily.

"Of course we have, you prat," Ginny responded with a matching thwack to George's head. "I can't believe we didn't hear it from you sooner than the _Prophet_. I'm family you know, and Harry and Hermione practically are, too."

"That hurt, Ginny," George said with a mocking hurt in his voice. "We would have told you sooner about it if we didn't think that it would have affected you so much like mum was."

"Yeah," Fred added, "if you only saw the look on mum's face when dad broke the news to her, I'm sure you would also refuse to tell it to anyone else."

Then, George and Fred motioned for the three to come closer and huddled together before they continued.

"Well, the day dad told mum, she wept for hours!" Fred cried. "The only time she stopped was to cook for meals-"

"-and even then," George continued, "her cooking was a bit off than usual… Merlin, were they salty!"

"We tried to comfort her each time,"

"but we could not even stop her sobbing."

"We tried cracking jokes, playing tricks,"

"setting of Fizzing Whizbees, and even setting Ginny's clothes on fire!"

"You did what!" Ginny cried.

"Not to worry Gin, dad managed to fix those."

"That is not the point, you gits," she fumed.

"Well, to cut to the chase," Fred carried on, ignoring Ginny, "we tried everything."

"Mum stopped crying just two days back,"

"but ever since, she's been working like crazy!"

"Degnoming the garden, doing the laundry,"

"washing the dishes, cleaning the rooms,"

"Well, that's what mothers do, Fred, George," Hermione cut in.

"But at this rate, Hermione, we'd end up losing our mum! She's working herself to death!"

"Insufferable prats as we may be, we always worry for her… She's really scaring the hell out of us both!"

"Dad's tried, but mum only breaks down into more tears whenever they talk about it."

"Dad never was the lady's man now was he, Fred?"

"No I don't think so, George."

"I don't know what it means to live with parents, but should you really be talking about your father like that?" Harry asked exasperatedly. Just as the twins were about to make a witty remark, however, Ginny hit the twins on the head with a book. They were about to mock her with an "ouch" but kept their mouth shut as she threatened to hit them again, only harder.

"Me and George think mum's feeling mentally glad that the two of you are around to spend the summer," Fred started again.

"So," his twin added, "we think it would be best if no one would try talking about Ron for the mean time… not unless she was the one to start it, of course."

They all nodded in agreement and began to spread out around the table. They ended their conversation just in time too as Mrs. Weasley entered the room again with a tray of casserole on her hands.

"Gather around the table, you lot," she cheerfully called out. "Harry, Hermione, I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate your spending the summer here with us."

"What did we tell you, Harry?" George whispered to Harry aside as they sat down. "She's gone nuts."

"Ginny, I hope your fourth year did not prove to be difficult? I hope you don't give up on your studies, not like these two who simply couldn't face the pressures of wizarding education…"

The twins flinched. No matter how much the twins have tried to convince their mother that graduation at Hogwarts was surprisingly early that year, she knew better. After all, how thick did they really think their mum was?

"But mum," Fred defended rather pathetically, "we _did_ feel that our education was simply becoming too… restricting of our creative talents."

"That's right," George chimed in, "and we didn't think that receiving our not-so-many N.E.W.T.s would help, either. We might as well bet our galleons where we could at least have more than a sickle's chance of succeeding."

"By quitting school altogether and at your final year at that? Are you mad! No one at the Ministry would bother hiring-"

"Mum," George began consolingly, "who ever said about working for the Ministry?"

"Yeah mum," Fred agreed, "we don't think that they'd be in any particular mood for our jokes and tricks, being knee-deep in cases about You-Know-Who and all."

"We'll see about that," she finished threateningly, and the twins were silenced immediately.

"Hermione dear," she said, turning to the other side of the table and startling the bushy-haired girl, "have you told your parents about this arrangement? We do not want to worry them, dear, just because we have some… temporary trouble."

Hermione, thinking that she might broach an unwanted topic of conversation, carefully answered, "They've written to me before we left Hogwarts, telling me that they wanted to take some few weeks away… I was thinking of writing you, actually, to ask if you could accommodate me for the summer… I hope it's no trouble."

"Oh no dear, it's no trouble at all… you are most welcome to stay here anytime… you are practically family!" She beamed at Hermione, making her blush without really knowing why.

The rest of the midday meal was finished without further incident. After the lunch, Mrs. Weasley insisted on doing all the dishes herself and left the rest to spend their time chatting under the shade of the tall trees out in the front yard.

"I think I now understand better what you meant, Fred, George… about you mother, I mean," Hermione mumbled.

"Yeah," Harry added, "I thought I was going to suffocate from all the tension in the air back there."

"I guess there's nothing we can do at this point," Ginny admitted. "By the way, how are Bill and Charlie taking it? A lot better, I hope?"

"We really don't know," Fred piped in. "Either they've been purposely avoiding our new tricks since then or they've just been loaded with work… You know those two,"

"Uh-uh," nodded George. "Bill's probably sent on another curse-breaking assignment again in Egypt, and Charlie's most likely has his hands full with the restless dragons in Romania lately."

"But ever since that issue of the _Prophet _came out, we've been receiving an awful lot of mails by owl…"

"We try to see whether we have some order forms coming in,"

"but either the people aren't enthralled with our excellent products – which we highly doubt – or mum intercepts and burns them."

"Can you blame her?" Hermione asked reprovingly. "After sending you to school for years and spending a lot for your supplies, you show your appreciation for her by simply choosing to give up your education and sending all her effort's worth down the drain."

"Gee, Hermione, you sure know how to lighten up our spirits," Fred said mockingly. "It's not like we haven't consider that, you know."

"If anything," George retorted, "we are trying to double up our efforts so we could pay mum back for all the things she did for us – even more. You do believe us, don't you Ginny?"

"I don't know…" Ginny teased.

"Oh come on Gin, not you too?" the twins worried, seriously this time.

"Fred, George," Harry quipped, "it's just that we could not imagine you being this… serious. You weren't even this earnest when we were resisting Umbridge or when you were betting against Bagman."

"Well we now certainly are," Fred answered with all the conviction he could muster.

"Don't get yourselves in a twist, boys," Hermione said, albeit giggling about their sudden seriousness. "Alright, alright. We just hope you manage to succeed in whatever you have in mind… I don't think your mother could manage another one of those heartbreaks…"

"First was Percy," Ginny added more thoughtfully, "then Ron… well, I think Hermione's onto something here… You twins might be next, being the ones born in between…"

"Yes mum," George teased, "but I don't think that birth order has anything to do with it,"

"so if you don't mind," his twin jibed, "we would rather end this discussion and talk about something else."

The three laughed their hearts out at the twins' expense, who, in turn, tried their hardest to hide their blushing. The twins kept on telling the three to sod off but only managed to make them chuckle all the more.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent on jokes and exchanges of spells and hexes. Much of the worry (and embarrassment) was forgotten that day, until, of course, sounds of pops and cracks echoed in succession from inside the Burrow.

"The others are finally here!" Ginny squealed as she tried fending off Fred who was incessantly tickling her senseless on the grass.

"Well let's get back inside, then," Hermione urged. "After all, I bet your mother would come out yelling any moment now that everyone's here."

True to Hermione's intuitions, Mrs. Weasley came running outside and began shoving everyone inside, even slapping the twins on their backs with her wand. After all the fuss, everyone – but more like the Weasleys – seemed to be having such an emotional moment… Ginny was off hugging Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie in turns of around three minutes each. Mrs. Weasley went hugging and pecking her husband on the cheek and embracing her two sons. Hermione, for her part, was off greeting the rest of the family.

"Come now, everyone," Mrs. Weasley told them all so happily, "supper's already been set and I think you lot are already starving from all your work… or play… or whatever…" She gave them all a tender smile.

"Wicked! What's for dinner mum?" Bill immediately asked.

"I hope it's my favourite!" Charlie brightened up. "It's been quite a while since I've had a decent meal, really."

"Yours?" Fred and George chimed in together. "What about ours?"

"You selfish lot," Ginny spoke up, "what about me? Mum always cooks _your_ favourites, but never mine!"

And the silliest squabble in the history of Weasley arguments ensued. Hermione and Harry began chuckling and eventually laughed so hard that they had to practically get down on the couch so they wouldn't tumble onto the floor.

"That's enough!" Surprisingly, the voice came from an unusually livid Mr. Weasley. The quarrelling siblings all stopped dead in their tracks. "Your mother's been so thoughtful enough to have supper for all of us here, and all you could do is argue!"

"Arthur, dear…" Mrs. Weasley nervously began. Mr. Weasley then smiled at her.

"I suppose you have cooked all of _our _favourites, then dear?"

"Of course." She shyly smiled in return.

"See?" Mr. Weasley retorted to his children. "Well, last one at the dinner table gets no dessert!" He then childishly rushed into the dining room.

During the next few seconds everyone was still in the living room. Apparently, the siblings were still shocked by their father's rather peculiar behaviour. Then again, he wasn't really your average wizard father. Confused, they altogether stopped and headed for supper. Hermione and Harry already recovered from their fits of laughter but could not help continue chuckling at the silliness of it all.

Everyone had been sharing a peaceful and relatively jovial atmosphere over dinner, sharing stories about work and school. Bill recounted his current assignment and told that he was enjoying a very short break from his curse-breaking. Charlie was saying that he just wanted to get away from the stresses of the work for the mean time and went to great lengths convincing his mother that he did not plan to retire soon; he was having too much fun with dragons. Fred and George, still up to their antics, were openly discussing their options with Harry about finally establishing their first joke shop in Diagon Alley, much to the distress of Mrs. Weasley. Ginny was off sharing her gossips with a rather uninterested Hermione who was just nodding her head absentmindedly.

Much of the main course had been finished – making way for a very excited George – before another cracking sound resounded through the halls of the Burrow.

"Mr. Weasley? Mrs. Weasley? Are you in here?"

It was such a familiar voice. When everyone heard it, they suddenly grew silent and turned their heads toward the hallway. Bill leaned back on his chair rather stiffly. Charlie put his cutlery down on the table. The twins wore such sour looks on their faces. Ginny stood up, grasped her wand and aimed it at the doorway. Arthur simply closed his eyes while Molly slowly began to cry but was not about to shed tears just yet. Harry, for his part, clenched his fists as his rage was building, and Hermione stood up as she made her way to the backyard via the kitchen door, rushing not to let the tears that threatened to fall any second.

"Honestly, is anyone even in he-"

Unfortunately for Percy, he was met with a rather nasty dose of the Bat-Bogey Hex before he could even step into the dining room.

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. "That is certainly _no _way to treat your br-"

"That is alright, Mrs. Weasley," Percy answered as he tried so hard to control his temper. Mrs. Weasley, still agitated by Percy not being at much better terms with everyone else in the family, now began to weep. Percy, however, was surprised to find everyone all gathered together considering that there was really nothing special that day… or at least, nothing that he could remember anyway. "I should have known. I'm sorry; I didn't realize that you were having people come over. I apologize for intruding, but the Minister wished me to inform you about this as soon as possible. Would you mind if I wait in the living room?"

"Go," Arthur said rather authoritatively. "We'll just clean up here. And no tricks from the lot of you," he shot to his other restless children.

Having been disrupted by this really unexpected surprise, everyone had risen up from the table, the dessert left to melt away, neglected. Charlie attended to clearing the table of everything while Bill moved to support their still upset mother along to the living room. Arthur had requested Harry to go off and look for Hermione but gave up after a few times as Harry was still irate with the Percy's visit. The weary father then gave up and directed Ginny and the twins to retreat to their bedrooms. The three had raised endless shouts in protest, but their father had his say in the end as he eventually settled the matter with a very scary "NO!"

The three made their way up the flight of stairs and Arthur saw them off. When they had disappeared behind the bend nearing the second floor, he headed for the living room. Mischievous as the three are, however, they headed for the twins' room, grabbed the Extendable Ears and headed down the stairs, cautious not to catch the attention of their wary targets should they decide to move back to the kitchens.

"What is this news about, Percy?" they heard their father say.

"I was rather wary of being the one to say this, but the Minister had his utmost trust in me and-"

"Again with your self-importance, Percy?" asked Charlie who had joined his parents minutes earlier. "Drop that air of arrogance, you pompous git! We're at the Burrow, at _home_, for Merlin's sake!"

"Boys," Molly said apprehensively, "can't we have a decent conversation with family, just once, without all the hostility?" Charlie just backed away and leaned against the wall.

"As I was about to say," Percy resumed, "the Ministry has gathered some new information which I'm sure you lot would be glad to hear."

"Just tell us already!" Bill asked impatiently.

"Minister Fudge has leads to Ron's whereabouts… though I'd have to say that we can't fully confirm _where_ yet."

The air was filled with silence as Percy dropped the bomb but apparently all the other occupants were in a state of shock to even react.

"Why didn't you say so at the dinner table?" asked the still irate Charlie.

"Do you think I could have managed with Ginevra having hexed my nose?"

There was giggling from outside the living room but not one soul really cared to notice.

"So?"

"'So?' what?"

"What have they found out, you git!"

"I refuse to tell anyone in this household if someone as impertinent as you treats me so harshly."

"Why you…"

Charlie was making his way towards Percy, balling his hands into fists with such fury. Bill, still trying his best to keep his cool, stood in the way and held Charlie by both arms, making him flail his limbs around to be freed from his bigger brother's grip.

"Geroff me, Bill! He apparently does not even _care_ if we find Ron, and that's why he's withholding all the information from us! He's keeping Ron from us! He's using Ron as if he were some trump card in a game! This is just plain torture, can't you all see!"

"Ch-Charlie, c-c-calm d-dow-down," Molly said in between sobs. She then turned to Percy and began to plead to him. "P-P-Per-Percy… p-p-please te-tell us… he's a member of this family… and more so, he-he's your brother…"

Percy stood silently for a good thirty seconds before sighing resignedly.

"Ron's no longer with us…"

…

…

…

Molly's shriek of horror echoed throughout the Burrow and was followed by terrible sobbing.

"What the hell do you mean by that!" Fred, George and Ginny all yelled in unison as they entered the living room. They, along with Bill and Charlie now, slowly came up to Percy in an attempt to find out all the bloody hell they wanted to know.

"What?" Percy asked, pretty confused.

"What do you mean 'He's no longer with us'? You mean they found his body somewhere!" George cried in frustration.

"What? What are you say- Ooooh… Is this what all that crying was about? Merlin, no! When I said that Ron was no longer with us, I meant that he was no longer with us _in the country!_"

"Percy, before you get the entire household so bloody worked up, think up your sentences more carefully next time, won't you! Mum has worked up a heart attack, you git!"

"Sorry," Percy said to no one in particular but looked at her mum most apologetically. She nodded, smiling as she understood what he meant.

"Has the Minister informed Dumbledore about this yet?" asked an equally relieved Arthur.

"No. The Minister was busy with attending to increasing our ranks, so he instructed me to tell the members of the Order about it. I know that you and Mr. Fudge are still working towards being on better terms with each other, so I hope you don't hold it against him; I am just doing my job, after all."

"I'll go alert the rest of the members of the Order, then. I suspect they may be more than willing to join us in the search. Molly, would you mind if I went off to Grimmauld Place for a short while? This _is _about Ron, after all…"

Molly gave her husband a weak nod but followed it up with the most cheerful smile she could muster, supporting him with all her heart.

"Why don't I join you, dad?" Bill asked.

"Yeah, me too." Charlie joined in.

"Hey, you wouldn't just go off-"

"-and keep all the fun to yourselves, now would you?" Fred and George both cheerily added, not in any mood to stick around.

"Alright, I suppose it's alright to bring the four of you… but only if your mother approves, of course."

They all turned their heads and looked at her for approval, begging her so badly with pouts that would've put Ginny's cries to shame. Molly was touched by their concern and bid them all with, "Alright… and take care, you lot…"

"Hey, then let me join you!" Ginny squeaked as she realized she was being left behind yet again.

"Ginny…" Arthur began.

"Ginny dear," Molly interrupted, "you wouldn't leave your mum here all alone by herself now, would you?"

Ginny was torn between irritation and sympathy but only nodded her head in compliance as she took her seat on the couch beside her mother.

"Planning on letting Hermione in on this news?" The voice belonged, they all turned to see, to Harry who was leaning against the corridor wall across the living room.

"Oh… how long have you been standing there?" asked Percy.

"Long enough to have vented off my anger towards you," he spat in return. "So? About Hermione?"

"Harry dear," Molly called out to him lovingly, "in as much as we would like to see our dear Ron back, I don't think we should be getting too many people's hopes up, Hermione included."

Harry could feel how painful it was having hearing the first news about Ron so soon but not telling his other best friend about it. He knew she would be infuriated once she found out, but Harry could not help but agree with Mrs. Weasley… she had so much trouble on her hands at the moment, after all.

"I can see that, Mrs. Weasley, but I honestly don't think she would be too pleased to find that we all hid this from her. She has as much a right as any one of us, you know."

They all lowered their heads, not really knowing what to do about it. However, they all knew it was for the best.

"Come now," Arthur spoke up, "Ron won't be home anytime soon if we keep on dallying here. Let's go."

The four older boys nodded and, without further ado, disapparated from the Burrow.

"Molly, Ginevra, Harry," Percy greeted, nodded his leave to each one in turn and turned around to disapparate as well.

Harry lingered longer, standing in the living room while deep in thought. When Ginny patted him softly on the arm, he remembered that he needed to find Hermione so he gave Ginny a grateful smile and headed outside through the kitchen.

It was really dark by then. Harry had quite some difficulty looking for Hermione as he had to avoid bushes and rocks of all sorts. He was some thirty feet away from the Burrow when he finally spotted a flicker of light from somewhere by the pond nearby. Harry narrowed his eyes to try and see the lone figure in the distance and, true enough, it was Hermione, staring at the sky and holding out her lit wand.

"Please leave me alone, Harry," she pleaded without even turning to look at him.

"You've been out a pretty long while already, Hermione. You're going to catch a cold out here."

"I'm in no hurry to get back inside. You're free to freeze along with me, if you wish."

Harry laughed, surprised by this girl's very witty invitation.

"Very well… I'm staying. I can't leave you to freeze here when Ron's practically away for the moment," Harry ventured teasingly, waiting for Hermione's reaction. He chose to sit down on one smooth rock beside her.

"What? Was that what that was all about?"

"Hermione, you're not being very helpful with your 'whats' and 'thats', you know…"

"Harry, you know what I mean. What did Percy have to say about… Ron?" She blushed.

Harry paused for a moment, observing Hermione and deciding just how much or even what to tell her for that matter.

"Well?"

Harry could not lie to her; she deserved to know everything, just like him. After all, he could not last the months to come without a best friend to share his troubles with

"Hermione, everyone decided it would be best if you didn't find out, but I know you're worth telling… Ron's your best mate too, after all."

"What? Is he…"

"I just told you that he's just _practically away_, Hermione. What do you think that means?"

"No you didn't Harry. And, by the way everyone was acting back there, I just expected the worst. You know how it is, don't you? Don't tell me you didn't feel something wrong was coming next…"

"Oh, I think I have an idea…" Harry mused to himself, recalling a certain misunderstanding just a bit earlier.

"So? Honestly Harry, how long are you going to keep me in the dark?"

"Okay, okay… Well… the Ministry has received news about Ron-"

"-and!"

"Blimey, Hermione! Who's telling the news here?"

"Sorry."

"Alright. Well, they have news about Ron, but unfortunately… he's rather… out-of-town as of the moment, so to speak."

"What do you mean?"

"Your brain not working properly today, is it?"

"Very funny, Harry. I'll let you know that I already have practically fifty different rescue plans in mind at present."

"As expected. Leave it to Hermione Granger to have built plans even in such a state of distress."

"Just answer the question, Harry," she pleaded, eyes wet for full effect.

"Well, the Ministry has discovered that Ron's no longer in England… or in the United Kingdom, even."

"Where could he be, then? France? Bulgaria? Egypt?"

"Egypt?"

"He's been there with his family before, remember?"

"Oh yeah… right. But I reckon Ron's not the kind of bloke to go off vacationing in the Middle East by himself, with the heat and hostile Muggles and all…"

"I suppose you're right. Has Dumbledore heard about this yet?"

"No. Mr. Weasley and the other boys went off to meet with the members of the Order."

"I hope they mobilize and find him soon… Things aren't the same here without him …"

"I know, Hermione… I know…"

They gazed into the pond in front of them, marvelling at the beauty of the reflection the bright moon was making, really radiant and round. Hermione noticed that there was a tiny speck that formed in the middle of the reflection and was growing larger and larger while being less and less round by the minute. She looked up and nudged Harry to do the same. They squinted their eyes and saw…

"An owl?" Harry wondered curiously.

"It's headed for the Burrow, Harry. It might be more news about Ron! We better head back, come on!"

They arose from their places and began to rush back towards the Weasleys' abode. As they raced past the back door, however, the owl had already made itself comfortable on the end table in the living room. Ginny handed it a few food pellets before it departed for its return flight.

"We… saw… the… owl…"

"Just… had… to… rush back…"

"Calm down, Harry, Hermione. Mum took the letter and just went to grab her wand in the kitchen."

The three of them sat on the couch. Harry was still panting from the sprint while Hermione had already calmed down. Harry was about to stand up again when Mrs. Weasley entered the room with an opened letter in hand.

"Mum, no fair! We're supposed to read that together!"

"Pipe down, Ginny… I just can't help it…"

"Well, who's it from?"

"Haven't got to that part yet, dear. Oh, Harry, Hermione, I hope you didn't catch a cold out there," Mrs. Weasley asked worryingly without tearing her eyes from the parchment.

"We ran back the second we spotted that owl, Mrs. Weasley," Harry replied.

"We just _had _to find out whether it was more news about Ron," Hermione added.

Mrs. Weasley eyed Harry admonishingly but figured out that she would find out on her own anyway. She then returned to reading the letter in her hands.

"Well, I'm nearing the end of the letter, so if you just let me…" Mrs. Weasley stopped in mid-sentence.

"What is it mum?"

"It's… It's…"

"It's what, Mrs. Weasley?" asked a worried Harry.

"Please don't tell me…" Hermione began to worry.

"It's… It's… It's from…"

* * *

A/N: Cliffie! Hurrah! Now that I've updated, I'm here to await your reviews! Please do review at this point because I'm no expert in writing British English… I've just taken a liking to their lingo lately, so I'm still experimenting whether it's working quite well. I hope the twenty-two pages' worth of an update was worth your while!

In other news, the part with all the Weasleys was quite fun to do, considering that I had to avoid using 'Mr. Weasley' to refer to Arthur as I realized that practically only two of them in the family weren't a 'Mr. Weasley'.

I've said this once before (in my other stories) and I'll say it again (most unfortunately): I'm bogged down with college work, so I'm having a hard time updating on even a tri-weekly basis. Please bear with me.

Liked it? Hated it? Review my work, and I'll give you all a digital biscuit (or cookie, whichever you prefer).


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